Wednesday, December 20, 2006

I must admit to you that I am, in many ways, a HUGE dork. I am sappy and sentimental and I can drive my husband crazy with my obsessiveness...and nothing brings all those elements out of me at once as much as Christmas time. I love love love Christmas and everything about it, but what I love most are the wonderful sights of the season...in particular the beautiful twinkling lights.

That love of lights is long standing with me. I can even remember back to when I was a little girl and I used to lay under our Christmas tree in the front family room. I would stare for hours at all the pretty colored lights. (Yes, I am child of the 70's/80's so not only did we have colored lights, until the early 80's they were HUGE and they twinkled ;)) I remember being so upset the year my mom switched from my beloved Christmas lights to the hated solid white strands. I pouted for days....well years, really...on end about that. Over the years I have finally come to terms with those white lights because truly, it didn't matter what color they were, only that they sparkled and twinkled just for me.

So I am guessing it should be no surprise that I emblazon my house in holiday lights. From the icicles and shrub netting outside to the 1000+ lights on my little 7' tree (yes, I shorted out a circuit doing that this year!) - my house is bathed in the warmth of those lights. And my poor husband bears the brunt of it all. No, I don't mean I make him put up the lights, I make him LOOK at them with me. And look. And look. From the street we look. From the porch we look. From the back room we look to the tree in the front room. We look, and look, and look some more. ;)

Tonight as we were doing our "looking", I was suddenly captivated by the site of our front parlor through the wreath on our front door. I could see our tree, our stockings, our wedding portrait, our hardwood floors - all the things that I love - and the sight completely filled my heart. That was magic to me - a magic full of the warmth and love that is Christmas. I hope each and everyone of you reading this have the most beautiful and special of holidays, whatever they are to you, and I leave you with the site that captured me. Love to you all. ~Kelly

9 comments:

ah kelly, this is so lovely. and i have to tell you that i too am a child of the 70s/80s and my christmas trees also had the c7 lights, some that twinkled (and bubble lights and a glitter star that twinkles). and i too used to sit and stare at that tree for hours.

but now, i STILL have a tree with c7 twinkle lights and bubble lights and the original sears and roebuck star from my childhood that glitters and blinks.

I know excactly what you mean, I sometimes go outside to look through the window into our house, especially when it's dark en the lights are on, and the kids are playing inside and it make me feel soooo rich!

Truly breathtaking, Kelly. I love your story about your light obsession. It brought back some fabulous memories of my lights (I am a child of the 70/80's and we had BIG colored lights that we put reflectors behind...talk about COOL!!!

What a way to end my day. We have a house full of sick adults and children with the dreaded stomach virus and I thought this day would never end. Thank you for ending it on such a positive note. I needed it after the week I have had. Maybe I do like Christmas again. . . Kim HarpoleGeorgetown, Kentucky